Armor
Armor items are protective items worn by characters to improve their defenses. Armor items are classified as light armor, heavy armor, or shield. Equipping light armor or heavy armor, other than unenchanted cloth armor, improves a character's armor class. Equipping a shield improves a character's armor class and Reflex defense, if the character is proficient with the shield. Armor comparison chart This chart lists the basic, unenchanted items. Enhancement bonuses are listed in a separate chart on this page. Magic armor At higher levels, magic armor provides a better armor bonus than the base armor. This replaces but does not supersede the masterwork armor originally described in other books. | |} Masterwork armor Masterwork armor originally appeared for experienced adventurers, providing better protection than the comparable armor. Such armor was crafted from specific materials. Starting with Essentials, magic armor no longer requires esoteric materials, and can be reinforced during the enchantment of the armor in question. Masterwork armor is based on an existing armor type. If you're proficient with the regular version of the armor, you can use the masterwork armor. Masterwork armor costs the exact same amount as the magic ability it's enchanted with. However, such armor has a minimum enhancement bonus required for the magic item. If masterwork armor is manually chosen, note that it might not provide as much protection should the enchantment on the armor be upgraded. However, certain armors (such as those listed outside the PHB) may provide boosts to secondary defenses. These armors include the following: If you can choose magic items (as with Living Forgotten Realms), try to get one of the green-colored rows (Githweave, Efreetweave, Earthhide, Stalkerhide, Weavemail, or Nagascale) as they're always superior options. Other rows may be of benefit, but have no official rules for rescaling. These obsolete masterwork armors provide practically no change over regular armor: Armor proficiency A character must be proficient, or trained, with armor and shields to avoid penalties when wearing them. There are eight armor proficiencies corresponding to the eight types of armor and shields: All published classes include cloth armor proficiency as a class trait, but other proficiencies must be granted as a class trait or by a feat. Wearing light armor or heavy armor without the corresponding proficiency incurs a -2 penalty to attack rolls and Reflex defense. Wearing a shield without the corresponding proficiency negates the shield's armor class and Reflex defense bonuses. Armor actions Equipping light armor or heavy armor takes at least 5 minutes, for example, during a short rest. Equipping or stowing a shield is a standard action. Dark Sun armor In Dark Sun, metal is considered a rare resource. While it can be obtained through great expense, most armor available to common people is made from whatever materials can be obtained. * Cloth Armor is woven from feathers of avian creatures on Athas. * Leather Armor is fashioned from a variety of desert creatures, with tougher creatures providing skins for masterwork armor. * Hide armor is also formed from the variety of creatures. * Chainmail armor was a challenge, but was possible by adorning stiff leather jackets with small disks or squares of horn, bone or wood. * Scale Armor is made from horn, scales and carapaces, including those shed by Thri-kreen. * Plate armor is made from giant insect or crustacean chitin. * Shields simply rely on wood, chitin shell and similar materials. Metal armor does exist, but is normally of masterwork quality due to the rarity. However, wearing it in the heat of Athasian deserts is dangerous: as an optional rule, there may be a -5 penalty to endurance checks pertaining to heat or resisting the effects of heat. See also * Light barding * Heavy barding Category:Armor